when will you know if a star's burned out
by 0TheCluster0
Summary: Steven and Lars are gone. Their family and friends struggle to fill the hole they left behind. (A collection of 100-word drabbles about loss.) 20. Lion waits for his cub
1. Greg

**Greg**

Greg's sitting, strumming his guitar, and enjoying the sunset. Then comes a sound as ugly and disruptive as a broken string.

Crying.

It's the Gems. Connie too. Her face is a furious mask. Amethyst won't look at him. Pearl's sobbing, shaking. Garnet's expression is stone.

Steven is not with them.

"What happened?" he says, jumping to his feet. "Where- is he-?"

"Not dead," Garnet says.

"Not _yet_ ," snarls Amethyst.

"They took him," Connie manages. "They wanted humans, and they took him instead-"

Toppling backwards, Greg's heart clenches.

Hands on mouth, Pearl whispers: "He told them... that he was Rose Quartz."


	2. Connie

Science lessons are about the solar system that day.

It's hard to concentrate when you know there's more out there, beyond the moon, beyond Neptune, beyond the farthest dwarf planet and definitely far beyond your reach. You know there is life out there.

—that _he_ is out there.

Ms. Sanches keeps talking, but your attention drifts. You stare out the window, at the cloudless sky, wondering where he is right now. Is he scared? Is he safe? Is he okay?

Is he even still alive?

You don't know, and it scares you.

But you can't do anything to help.


	3. Onion

**Onion**

Lil Bro has been acting weird.

He's been keeping mum about where he's been those couple days. Mom's a little miffed about that, but ultimately just hugs him and says she's glad he's home now.

But he doesn't go to Funland anymore. Even though that's, like, his favorite place in the world.

He doesn't go on his little adventures anymore either. Says he likes staying in his office better lately.

Sometimes, though, he does go to the carwash. Maybe to see Steven's dad? I dunno.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Steven lately.

I wonder if something happened...


	4. Jamie

**Jamie**

( _excerpt from the script of "The Battle Amongst the Stars" by The Beach City Community Theater_ )

—and so, our hero offers himself up to the ruthless blue overseer and her yellow bodyguard in order to save the townspeople from abduction and certain demise! Ah, such a heroic sacrifice!

But alas! Unbeknownst to our hero, these out-of-this-world villains were still able to keep one of their human prisoners inside their ship, as they launch themselves into the deepest parts of space. Truly, this is the most tragic of tragedies!

How will our heroes, our **_friends_** escape the perilous fates awaiting them?


	5. Sadie

**Sadie**

I don't know what to write here.

BD was empty today. Not just of customers. Corporate's gonna hire someone new.

I don't want someone new. I want Lars.

It's stupid. I miss him, and his stupid comments and his eye rolling and his lazy ass. I shouldn't. Better without him. He left me behind. It's his own damn fault he got stuck on that fucking ship.

But he doesn't deserve to be stuck in a zoo. No one deserves that.

and Steven. steven doesnt deserve any of this. he saved us, he saved us all. and theyre gonna kill him


	6. Pearl

For so long after he'd been born, Steven was 'not-Rose'.

Pearl grew out of it, just as the baby grew up.

Still, the thought had lingered in her mind, as she watched him learn how to walk, and talk, and sing, and dance, and fight: _I wish you were more like Rose._

Less silly. Less distracted. Less baffling.

But what Pearl had always admired most about Rose was her kindness, her passion, her protectiveness. The willingness to do anything to help others, no matter the personal cost.

In the end, it turned out Steven was too much like his mother.


	7. Garnet

**Garnet**

Garnet is not going to fall apart. She refuses. She told Steven she wouldn't split up, so she won't.

The others need her to be strong.

And what do we need?

We need to be strong too.

How? Sapphire, we already lost Rose— now we've lost him too—

I know. I'm sorry. I should have stopped this.

You couldn't have Seen—

I could have. I didn't.

We didn't.

I'm tired, Ruby.

Me too.

I miss him so much. So much. It hurts.

I know, I know.

What do we do now?

Don't know.

Garnet is not going to fall apart.


	8. Ronaldo

**Ronaldo**

 **To Lost Friends**

KBCW followers, I come to you now with a sad message:

My job— my duty— has always been to educate and protect our world from the strange. Today, I have failed in this duty.

I've written before about Gems (once incorrectly identified as 'rock people'), their hierarchies, and their factions. One of my greatest friends and allies is a Gem— Steven Universe.

This weekend, I was out of town. And while I was gone, Gems invaded. Without me there to help, the invaders took two prisoners. Steven, and a civilian.

To both of you:

I am sorry.


	9. Peedee

**Peedee**

Ronaldo's still distraught.

Peedee thought blogging would make him feel better, but it hasn't helped much.

Or at all.

Looks like he'll have to continue pretending he doesn't hear the sobs coming from his brother's room at night.

Peedee has never really liked Lars all that much, not since he threw Ronaldo away. But even so, nobody deserves to be thrown into a human zoo for some alien queen's amusement.

And Steven...

Peedee only has a few friends in his life. To lose one is...

Looks like he'll have to pretend he doesn't sob in his room at night, either.


	10. Kiki

**Kiki**

When she hears what happened, first thing Kiki does is get ready for bed.

She takes a shower, trying to let the water calm her. It works as well as expected. She puts on her comfiest pajamas. She drinks a glass of warm milk. Takes a melatonin. Snuggles in under the covers. Puts on some whale song, to block out the sound of Jenny raging downstairs.

It's only 8:35 PM.

Kiki closes her eyes.

She found Steven in sleep once before. Maybe she can do it again.

But there is no sign of the Dream Warrior to be found.


	11. Lapis

**Lapis**

She could only blame herself.

If only she'd been faster, when Jasper had grabbed her...

If only she'd been stronger, when she'd kept Malachite underwater...

If only she'd _acted_ instead of wallowing— in her depression, in her regrets, in her triumph of being right for _once_ — when that Ruby had been around...

And if only— _if only!—_ she had been _there,_ when they...

If Steven were here, he'd tell her it wasn't her fault— that it was Homeworld's, and he only did what he had to, for his family.

But Steven wasn't here.

And maybe he never would be again.


	12. Peridot

**Peridot**

Peridot's hands chafe, her back strains, her mind thrums with exhaustion from constant use of her metallokinesis.

She hasn't worked this hard since the drill.

Pearl's her only work partner in this. They talk only about what they need to. There's no chatting, no joking, no singing. And if sometimes Peridot overhears a sound suspiciously like a sob— she hammers louder and ignores it.

Lapis, Amethyst, or Garnet will sometimes show up with some "high-tech" piece of human technology. Nobody asks where they 'found' it; it's all archaic by Homeworld standards anyway.

But hopefully it's enough to fix a spaceship.


	13. Amethyst

**Amethyst**

There was no time to waste. Each millisecond spent dillydallying would be another millisecond Steven was stuck on Homeworld. No time to eat, sleep, breathe— no point doing those anyway.

There was no time to waste. There was only the task at hand— hold this, carry that; give Peridot the wrench, hand Pearl the screwdriver; scavenge Injectors for parts, find solder wire and tungsten…

There was no time to waste, not even for rest. She wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't stop working.

No, she _refused_ to stop.

Because she'd only end up crying, and they had no time to waste for tears.


	14. Priyanka

**Priyanka**

Priyanka has occasionally wished Connie had never visited Beach City and met Steven Universe.

She'd be safer for it, certainly. No time-consuming sword training, no monster fights, no near alien abductions.

But better for it? Priyanka ponders how her daughter has changed in the last two years— the way she holds herself, that new confidence, that determination, that _drive_. Despite everything, she can't begrudge this life Connie has chosen.

Some things are more important than safety.

Dr. Maheswaran informs the school that Connie will be taking an indefinite leave of absence.

She tells Connie to do what she has to.


	15. Doug

**Doug**

A parent's job is to protect their kid.

At a certain point, though, there's only so much you can do. Give 'em a helmet and kneepads, they still might skin their knee. All of life's like that, on a grander scale.

Maybe your daughter almost gets abducted by aliens, for example.

Doug feels guilty about that. Wishes he'd seen the signs, gone to the authorities, protected all the kids. But that won't help, so he tries not to dwell.

Maybe Connie will get Steven back, and it'll all be okay.

But if not...

Just in case, Doug researches grief counseling.


	16. Buck

**Buck**

Buck's the one who brings the up the idea with his Dad, and Mayor Dewey's the one who organizes the ceremony.

That's what they're calling it: a _ceremony_. Not a memorial, not a service, not a funeral. Mr. Universe and the Barrigas were very firm about that.

There's food. Pizza, fry bits, donuts, assorted fruits, and ube cake. There's soda and wine. One by one, people stand up and say a little something 'bout either Steven or Lars.

More folks talk about Steven. Buck's one who talks about both. His eyes burn behind his shades.

He ends it: "Bingo, bongo."


	17. Jenny

Jenny has always been a firm believer in driving therapy.

There's been too much sitting around. Sitting, talking, crying. She needs to be moving. To be moving on.

She invites all her friends— the ones still on the planet, at least— to come with.

Sadie's the only who accepts.

Good. Judging by the red 'round her eyes, she needs this too.

It seems to be an unspoken agreement not to talk about what happened. Instead, they speed past corn fields, discussing everything and anything else— music, colleges, food, clothes, favourite movies.

By the end, both of them are actually smiling.


	18. Martha

**Martha**

6:15PM on the dot, Martha's head turns towards the door.

She knows he isn't coming home— she's known for a while now— but she still can't help hoping and wondering and waiting…

And waiting…

 _Maybe today, he'll finally come back_ , she thinks to herself. But reality always slaps her in the face.

It's the little things that get to her the most:

His top-secret cookbook still in the kitchen.

A slice of ube cake in the fridge.

His bed left unmade, since…

Since…

Martha turns away from the door, wiping her eyes.

She just wants her _unica hijo_ back.


	19. Dante

**Dante**

Inside the fridge, there was a slice of ube cake.

It wasn't from the one Dante had served during the 'ceremony'. No, this was from _before_ — from a batch Lars had baked, before heading off to a potluck he'd never return from.

Dante put the cake on the table. It was the last day it'd still be good to eat.

He took a small bite. It tasted exactly like the ones his _Lola_ Delia used to make—flavors he himself could never capture but Lars had, oh so perfectly.

His next mouthful tasted a little salty and slightly wet from tears.


	20. Lion

**Lion**

The pride is worried.

Lion can smell the fear on them, hear the sadness in their mewls, see the tension in their muscles. He cannot talk as they can, but he can understand, more than they realize. The cub is gone, and they fear for him.

Lion fears for the cub too, but knows he is not dead. They share a lifeforce. If the cub was struck down, Lion would feel it. He is certain.

If only there was a way to explain this...

But there is none.

So Lion sleeps. Waits.

He is not surprised when the cub returns.


End file.
